The board of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts has voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the institution, sparking debate over traditions in American democracy. The change occurred while Trump is in office, contrasting with long-standing practices against honoring living leaders. Critics liken the move to tactics used in dictatorships.
On Thursday, the board of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, largely appointed by President Donald Trump, approved renaming the venue to 'the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.' The addition implies a memorial for Trump, despite him being alive, as the center honors the deceased former president.
By Friday, Trump's name was physically inscribed on the building, following directives from his selected board members. This action breaks with American norms that avoid naming public buildings, currency, or stamps after sitting officials or living individuals. Such practices are seen as hallmarks of dictatorships: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Francisco Franco featured on their nations' stamps and coins during their rules; Josef Stalin appeared on Soviet stamps and had a city renamed Stalingrad; Kim Jong-un has been depicted on North Korean postage.
In contrast, U.S. currency and stamps honor figures posthumously, like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy. The Confederate government deviated from this by featuring living leaders. Building namings follow suit: Washington, D.C., was chartered as such in 1802, years after George Washington's death, with bipartisan support. Dulles International Airport was named for the late John Foster Dulles under President Kennedy. LaGuardia Airport received its name after Fiorello La Guardia's death; Ronald Reagan's name was added to Washington National Airport in 1998, after his presidency and Alzheimer's diagnosis, during Bill Clinton's term; O'Hare Airport honors a deceased World War II pilot.
The Kennedy Center originated from ideas in the 1930s, advanced by JFK's legislation using public and private funds. It opened in 1971, eight years after his assassination, under Republican President Richard Nixon, who retained the name despite their 1960 rivalry. Cultural sites like the Smithsonian and Field Museum also reflect posthumous or donor-based namings.
'This sort of behavior is alien to a republic and a democracy. It is common, however, in dictatorships,' the report notes, warning against emulating authoritarian customs in a 250-year democratic tradition.
